An Incredible Friendship
by Shadowjumper3
Summary: Olivia Johnson is a super with a power she rarely uses in public ever since the lift of the ban on supers: sound manipulation. But coming from a divorced family causes her anxiety attacks. One day, she ends up in the hospital because of her attacks. But she doesn't talk to anyone and has no friends.However, she meets Buddy Pine. Can she find courage to befriend in a former villain?
1. Chapter 1

My eyes opened to stare at a dull white ceiling. Music gently playing, almost greeting me and telling me to get up. I sighed. The day ahead of me didn't seem like something I was looking forward to. Slowly sitting up, I flipped the covers off my bed and brought my feet to the floor. I pushed myself off the bed and stood up. My legs felt weak and I almost fell. Regaining my balance, I looked down at the hospital gown I wore. My eyes trailed across my body until they landed on the IV that protruded from my right arm. I glanced around, making sure the daily nurse who came in wasn't there and took the IV out.

I hated it. The IV made it hard for me to move my arm. It only showed how broken I am. It made me feel weak, emotionally and mentally. The moment I took it out, the machine it was connected to started beeping. I winced and covered my ears. The sound made my ears hurt. I couldn't use my powers to fix it. That's part of the reason why I was here. Ever since the ban on supers had been lifted, I could've use them freely, without worry. But my brain couldn't handle it, especially since my parents were divorced. I had kept my powers a secret from them. Adding to their plate would only make them angry at me, especially my dad. My dad was the other reason for my attacks. I was afraid of what he would do to me if he found out that I was a freak. Already, he didn't speak to me and I knew he hated supers. Anyways, as I covered my ears, I wobbled my way to the door, only to be stopped by Marion, my nurse.

Don't get me wrong! Marion was a great person. She knew of my powers. In fact, the whole hospital did. But because I almost never used them in front of people, I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder. They said that due to my time with a divorced family and my low self esteem caused me not to use my powers when it was ok to. But that wasn't the half of it. Currently, Marion was scolding me for taking my IV out and attempting to get out of my room.

"Olivia, how many times have I got to tell you to leave the IV in?"

"A lot." Was my only reply. Marion shook her head and brought over the portable IV pole, reattaching the IV to my arm. In response, I glared at it and Marion in defiance. She only smiled and chuckled. She then helped me on my way to the hospital's eating area for breakfast. Little did I know that throughout the entire time, another patient was watching me with curiosity.

Buddy's POV

He was in thought ever since he had arrived at the hospital. Flashbacks from his days as a villain brought about no reaction from him. To be honest, he didn't know what to think about it. Granted, being a sidekick-turned-villain at its moments but, he could never have any of that back. Now that he was a former villain, people would look at him with fear and distaste. But all he wanted was to be noticed and loved. So, who was he now? Just Buddy Pine. Now, he was in the hospital from the plane crash that he almost died in. Buddy looked at his arm and leg, its metal appearance gleaming from the ceiling lights. He had been trying to properly use them but it was proving to be difficult. Suddenly, a beeping noise brought him out of his thoughts. At first, he thought it was him but as Buddy listened more closely, he discovered that the beeping sound was coming from the room across from him.

He looked out the glass door and saw a teenage girl covering her ears. Buddy continued to stare at the girl. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes seemed deprived of all life.

What happened to her? he thought.

"Good morning, Mr. Pine!" his nurse's cheery voice called out. Without taking his eyes off the girl, he asked her

"Hey, what's her story?" as he quickly jabbed his thumb towards the girl across the hall. His nurse looked at the girl, who still had her ears covered, and sighed.

"She's one of our regulars. Only this time, she's under observation for some time." she told him. Buddy raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Why was she a frequent patient? Better yet, who is she? The nurse noticed Buddy's expression and shook her head.

"If you would like to go meet her, you may. You are going to be her neighbor, you know." Buddy frowned. He had no desire to talk to anyone, let alone a kid. But something about the girl intrigued him. Buddy argued with himself. He was a former villain, someone who practically leveled the whole city, and yet, here he was. Part of the reason why he was here was to be rehabilitated and since there was nothing else he could do, he made up his mind. He swung his legs over the edge of his bed and the nurse helped him into the wheelchair that was beside his bed. As he looked out the window again, this time, the girl was with a nurse. The nurse seemed like she was scolding the girl and then Buddy noticed that she had taken her IV out. He smirked. The girl was rebellious, he gave her credit for that. After a few seconds, the girl was helped to walk with a IV pole out the door and toward the hospital's dining room. Immediately after they had left, Buddy was wheeled away down the same hall toward the same place as the mysterious girl was going.


	2. Chapter 2

I slowly made my way over to the cafeteria. Foot by foot, I walked with Marion by my side. The thought of food made me slightly smile. My stomach grumbled at the mention of food and Marion laughed. After a few minutes, we made it to the cafeteria. I found a table to sit at for two and I sat down in exhaustion. Just walking around after the amount of...incidents I've had did a number on my body. So, once I sat down, I waited patiently for Marion to come back with the food. She had understood that I was still tired and went to get breakfast. I sat there staring out into space for what seemed like an eternity. That is until, I heard the squeaking of wheels behind me. I froze, unable to turn around. I rarely spoke to anyone other than Marion.

"Hey, I'm Buddy. I'm across the hall from you." a voice said to me. I slowly turned and there sat a man in a wheelchair. He had long wavy orange hair that stood up on end and had blue eyes that stared at me. He had one of his arms out to shake mine. The other arm rested on his arm rest. But something stood out. His face and hair looked familiar. Then it clicked. The man in front of me was Syndrome, the one that almost destroyed half the city. My heart rate went up and my hands began to shake. Fear rose in my mind. I felt another attack coming on.

 _No no no!_ I thought. _Why?_ I asked myself. Buddy/Syndrome still had his arm out. I quickly turned back around and didn't say anything, wishing he would magically disappear. What was he doing here? Thoughts whizzed by in my mind. The villain who tried to kill everyone was in a hospital! But maybe there was a reason? I thought back to his arm and leg. They were prosthetic. Perhaps he got really injured in the supposed plane crash I heard about? I tried to control my breathing and nausea hit me like a soccer ball to the face. I heard the squeak of the wheelchair as Buddy wheeled himself over to my right.

"Olivia! Are you alright, dear?" Marion's voice cut through the air as she hurried back to my table. Once she got back, she noticed my shaking and sweaty face. She knelt next to me with Buddy right there, looking on.

"Olivia, is everything ok?" she asked me. I had enough energy to shake my head. Seeing this, and understanding why, Marion turned to the nurse that was with Buddy and whispered something to her. With a nod, the nurse said something to Buddy and wheeled him away. Again, I tried to get my breathing in check but I couldn't. Before I knew it, dizziness overcame me and I fell to the floor. Darkness greeted me.

 **3rd POV**

Buddy had stuck his arm out to greet the girl. When he did, his mind was screaming at him

 _What are you doing?! You are the guy who blew up half the city and you're trying to make nicey-nice with a total stranger!_

Buddy got a good look at the girl he was trying to meet. Her hazel eyes had bags under them and her face seemed drained of its color. But the one thing that scared him a little was the fact that her arms were shaking. Suddenly, she turned around and sat back down in her seat. Buddy frown and subconsciously clenched his jaw. Fine. Why even bother with her if she wasn't going to talk to him? But his hands had other plans. Before he can stop himself, he wheeled himself over to the spot next to the girl and right when he did, he heard

"Olivia! Are you alright, dear?" a woman in scrubs hurried over to where the two of them sat and knelt down next to the girl.

"Olivia, is everything ok?" the nurse asked her. Buddy cocked his head slightly.

 _So Olivia is her name!_ he thought to himself. He remained quiet until he felt himself being pulled from the table. He tried to turn around to see who had the nerve to move him and found his nurse responsible.

"Hey! What gives?" he demanded with a glare. The nurse answered as she maneuvered his chair to another table.

"Olivia was having another anxiety attack. Marion thought it would be best if you were to give her some space." her explaination caught Buddy's attention. It dawned on him that he had caused it. He felt a pang of guilt at the thought but then he shook it off. He didn't want to go soft Even though his evil, villainous days were over, he still wanted to hold his reputation that he **was** a former villain. But considering he was there to be rehabiliated, that was going to be hard. He still wanted revenge on Mr. Incredible. However, Buddy decided now wasn't the time to do anything about that. His nurse went to fetch him some food and while he had the chance, he looked back over to where Olivia had sat, but found the table empty. A part of him grinned in victory that he scared her away but the other half still felt that guilty feeling, which he shook off yet again. His mind wondered off to his plans for the day and it included finding more information about a specific patient.

 **Nighttime-Olivia's POV**

I couldn't sleep, as usual. Memories from earlier plagued my mind. I glanced at my clock that was beside my bed. 12:00am. My body sat up in the bed and I glanced out my door. No one was there and it was quiet. I blinked, my mind trying to decide if I should try again with my...powers or not.

 _Come on! Its a perfect time to try! No one's looking and no one to judge._ My consciousness told me. I drew in a shaky breath and reached for my phone and headphones. Turning it on, I looked at a song that I knew and hovered my thumb over the 'play' button. Taking one last look outside, I hit 'play'.

Let me take a moment to explain how my powers work. I can create sound waves from music or other sounds. These sound waves can appear in any color. If I listen to a song, I am able to create a physical wave of sound from the beat, melody or rhythm of that song. Anyways, I listened to the song as it began

 **All alone as you look through the door**

 **Nothing left to see**

 **If it hurts and you can't take no more**

 **Lay it all on me**

Looking at my hands, I concentrated on the music and melody, picturing waves of sound.

 **No you don't have to keep it on a locking key**

 **'Cause I will never let you down**

 **And if you can't escape all your uncertainties**

 **Baby I can show you how**

All of a sudden, a blue wave danced and pulsed in my hand. I tilted my head in wonder at the sight of it. It seemed to pulse to the beat of the song. Truthfully, this was the only the third time in my life that I had used my powers.

 **If you're hurting, if you're hurting**

 **Lay it all on me**

 **Buddy's POV**

He stared out his room window, thinking. He couldn't find out anything on Olivia, not even her last name. Each time he asked about her, the answer was "confidential". 'Confidential' his butt. She was different from the other patients he saw and met with. This girl excluded herself from everyone, not speaking. It reminded him of his younger self, when he was unable to make any friends in school. As he tried to go back to sleep, Buddy heard music coming from across the hall. At first, he irritably growled at the noise, but then, did a double take. He realized it was coming from Olivia's room. He slowly turned towards the clear-view window and looked across. He saw Olivia awake and more surprisingly, she held a pulsing orb-looking thing in one of her hands. She held an expression of wonder and awe as she gazed at the orb. Buddy could still hear the music he heard before.

 **If you're scared when you're out on your own**

 **Just remember me**

 **'Cause I won't let you go, let alone**

 **Lay it all on me**

 _She's a super._ He thought. Then it clicked. That's why she was utterly scared of him before. He mentally slapped himself.

 _Great job, Buddy. First attempt of being nice, and you scare a teen super away. You might as well still be a villain!_ He growled to himself. No. He had learned that being a villain was not what he wanted it to be and going back to it would only make things worse. He gazed back at the girl who had now fallen asleep, the pulsing orb now gone. He turned away from the window and closed his eyes to fall asleep as well. At this point, the only two things he needed to work on right now was apologizing to the girl and trust. And he would try to do that tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

_Yelling and screaming. That's all I heard. My younger self sat up in bed as I listened to my parents' yelling. I covered my ears in attempt to block out the noise. I had been trying to sleep but the yelling kept me awake. But one thing that I had heard made me feel like I had gotten stabbed. My dad had said_

 _"_ _I don't care about Olivia."_

 _I cried myself to sleep that night._

 **Beep Beep Beep!**

My eyes shot open from my sleep, with my heart erratically beating against my chest. My breathing shortened and I pressed the help button on the side of the bed. Seconds later, Marion appeared and was calming me down. Tears spiked my eyes and I tried to catch my breath. Marion stroked my hair as she gave me my medicine.

"Shhh. Its ok, Liv. You're safe." She reassured me. After a few minutes, I managed to calm down and I almost fell back asleep if Marion hadn't been there. She began bringing out my clothes for the day. A pair of blue jeans and a grey t-shirt laid on top of the edge of my bed.

"Are you going to be well enough to see Dr. Nora today?" Marion asked as I went to the bathroom to change. Dr. Nora was the doctor who monitored the supers in the hospital and did daily check-ups of our powers. Each time I went, it seemed as though no progress was being made. Mentally, I grinned. The thought of last night would be something I would tell her.

"Yeah." Was my reply once I finished changing and got out of the bathroom. Marion smiled, which I returned with a small smile. After that, we started getting ready for my daily check-up with Dr. Nora. Once we were ready to go, we went outside my room. As soon as I was in the hall, my eyes wondered to Buddy's room. Unexpectingly, he was awake and he was looking at me. I stared at him, unable to move. Buddy waved at me with a small smile. Marion, who was beside me, noticed.

"Why don't you say hi?" I shook my head in response. I was still scared of him and being friendly towards him was not something I wanted to do. Marion bent down to my level with her brown eyes.

"Look, Liv. I know he scared you yesterday. But he won't hurt you. He's here for rehabilitation. Just give him a chance. Ok?" she said. I looked at her face to see if she was fibbing and I concluded she wasn't. Syndrome was no more. A former villain in need of recuperation and he had nothing to hurt anyone. But could I trust him? Well, almost all of the staff here seemed to, including Marion and most of the other patients. I nodded silently to Marion. She grinned and straightened up, leading the way to my appointment. Before I followed her, however, I turned back to Buddy, who was still staring at me.

I waved back in greeting and hurried away to catch up with Marion.

Once Marion brought me to Dr. Nora's office, she had to go and fill out some paperwork. That just left the two of us. Dr. Nora's office was like a mini-living room, with a comfortable couch in the middle of the room.

"So, how are you doing today, Liv? Any improvement from last time we met?" Dr. Nora asked me. I sat down on the couch as she did the same in the chair facing the couch. I thought back to last night and nodded in reply. Dr. Nora had said when I first met her that supers should be using their powers regularly in order to live healthy. But in my case, I had didn't. She's been trying to get me to get back into the habit of using my powers in order to retain them.

"That's great! Were you able to use your powers?"

Another nod.

"Ok. Where were you when you tried it?" she asked me. I frowned.

'Room.' I mouthed. She jotted something down in her notebook before she looked back up at me and sighed.

"Were you by yourself?"

A nod.

"How many times have you used them?"

I held up three fingers. Granted, I was 15 at the moment and only using my powers three times in my life was rough.

"Liv, do you really not want to talk to anyone? It's not good to stop using your voice. I know you're shy but I really want you to get better." She suddenly said. I didn't do anything. Just stayed silent.

"Not using your powers and your voice isn't good for you. Why don't you use them freely? Are you afraid of someone or something?" She asked me. _Yeah, my dad and being called a freak._ I thought. I nodded in answer to her question. I glanced at the clock that hung on the wall. Was it time to go yet? I wasn't all too comfy being here 'answering' questions about my motives to my actions. The clock read 9:30am, which meant it was time for me to leave. We had started at 9am, so thirty minutes seemed like forever. Dr. Nora followed my gaze and chuckled.

"Eager to get out of here, aren't you?" she commented. I nodded and stood up, walking towards the door and opening it. Marion was right outside the door and went to talk to Dr. Nora. I sat down on the floor and stared down the hall.

 **3** **rd** **POV**

"How was she today?" Marion asked the strawberry blonde woman. Nora sighed and quickly looked at the light brown haired girl before returning to Marion.

"Well, she used her powers but it was only last night briefly and when she was by herself. And it looks like she won't be talking anytime soon." She told her.

"She doesn't socialize or even look at any of the other patients. We need to find someone who can get through to her and talk to her." Marion suggested. There was silence. Both women loved Olivia but trying to get her to open up was going to be hard. Her parents' divorce made sure of that. So finding someone to make friends with her was like finding a needle in a haystack. But Nora thought of a name, a name that might not be the best choice.

"Why not Buddy Pine?" Nora asked Marion. Marion was skeptical when she heard that name. Everyone knew who he was and what he did but that's why no one really talked to him. They were afraid of him. Then again, he seemed to be their only chance in helping Olivia.

"Alright. I can arrange to have Buddy meet with Liv again." Marion decided. The first time Buddy tried to meet Liv didn't go well. But this morning seemed promising. Nora nodded in content and bid Marion goodbye. Marion then turned to Liv, who had sat down on the ground, staring down the hall blankly. The nurse sighed and bent down to speak with the girl.

"Hey, Liv. Why don't we go back to your room? Then I gotta go see someone, but I'll be right back, ok?" she said. Olivia looked at her and slowly nodded. She got up and started walking back to her room, with Marion close behind. Once they made it to Olivia's room, Marion had her do some drawing to keep her busy as Marion went to go talk to Buddy. Making her way across the hall to Buddy's room, she entered. His nurse, Linda, was helping him finish up getting dressed. Marion sucked in a deep breath and softly called

"Linda? Can I talk to Buddy for a minute?" she heard squeaking and movement before she also heard

"Yeah sure!" Seconds later, Buddy appeared in his chair with Linda behind him. Buddy saw Marion and confusion swept across his face.

"What do you want?" he asked a little grumpily. Personally, he just wanted to be left alone. It was bad enough that he had someone with him almost 24/7.

"Dr. Nora thought it would be best if you were to try and socialize with Olivia." Marion explained. Buddy snorted. Seriously, they wanted him to talk to the girl that he scared half to death yesterday? They surely were joking about this. When he looked at the nurse who had spoken, he saw that she was dead serious. He raised an eyebrow. Why him? Why a former villain who did more bad things in his life than a therapist or something? Besides, he had better things to do than talk to a random girl he didn't care about. Or did he?

"What? You're serious? Why me?" he blurted out.

"You seem to be the only one who has even tried to talk to her and got a response."

Buddy thought back to earlier that morning when he waved to her. She hadn't waved back a first but before she left she did. He shook his head of the thought.

"Doesn't she have a therapist to do it or something?" he was desperate to try and back out of this. Surely, there was someone else more capable. Marion shook her head.

"You don't understand. She hasn't even spoken to Dr. Nora or _anyone_ since she got here. She hasn't even used her powers."

His mind halted. _Wait, but she used them last night? Did they not know that? They say she doesn't use them at all._ He thought. He had saw her last night. That face filled with wonder... He was so confused by this girl and her motives. Ultimately, there was one way to get any answers to his questions. Minutes later, three little words were spoken that slightly shocked the two nurses with him.

"I'll do it."

Marion stood there stunned for moment before she composed herself and sighed in relief.

"Great! When would you want to start?" she asked him. Buddy looked across the hall to Olivia before answering

"Why not now?"

Marion nodded in acceptance and wheeled Buddy out of his room over to Olivia's. Olivia, upon hearing someone enter her room, looked up from whatever she was drawing and her eyes slightly widened. Buddy had come over. Olivia looked to Marion for an explanation.

"Liv, honey. Buddy here wanted to meet and talk with you. He isn't going to hurt you." Marion said to her. Buddy visibly flinched a little when she had said that last part. Olivia stared at Buddy for a moment and then she nodded. Buddy smiled slightly and wheeled himself over to Olivia.

"I'll leave you two alone." Marion said and then left, shutting the door behind her. Olivia seemed to study Buddy before going back to her drawing. Buddy grumbled in defeat somewhat. This girl was deemed impossible to socialize with. He looked back to Marion for help, who was standing outside the door watching them. He gestured to Olivia, as if saying 'what am I supposed to do?' Marion ushered a 'go on' motion and Buddy turned back to Olivia. This was going to go so bad.


	4. Chapter 4

"Whatcha drawing?" Buddy asked Olivia as he tried to peer over at the sketchbook in front of her. She didn't say anything, just continued to draw.

"You know; I'm an inventor so like to draw out my inventions." He commented. The girl stopped and looked at him with wide eyes, almost as if she had forgotten who he was. He wanted to try at least make a friend out of her and it seemed as though he had to start off with small chit-chat. Olivia cocked her head in question.

"Yeah, I even made my own rocket boots." He said smiled smugly, which only earned him a frown in return. The rocket boots reminded her of the time when he was Syndrome, flying around causing destruction. Buddy tried again.

"What do you like to draw?" he asked. Olivia shook her head and brought the book to her chest. She didn't want him seeing what she was drawing. To her, her drawings looked like a 3-year-old did them. Her low self-esteem had kicked in.

"Come on. It can't be that bad." He said to her. Olivia sighed in defeat. He wasn't going to give up on it so she hesitantly handed her sketchbook to him and said nothing. He took it and flipped to the page she had been on. Buddy's mouth was open a bit and he stared at it. Olivia had been drawing herself playing music.

"You're good." Buddy commented as he handed it back to her. She shook her head in disagreement.

"Why do you think that? You're obviously good at it." He asked. Olivia quirked an eyebrow. Why was he so curious about what she thought? This is a former villain that's in her room and he's being friendly to her.

"Ok, since you don't want to answer that…What's the deal with your powers? How come you never use them?" he pressed. The girl opened her mouth but then closed it. She scribbled in her sketchbook and passed it to him.

 _How do you know that I'm a super?_

He looked at me and said plainly

"I saw you last night you them." As if it were nothing. A hand flew to her mouth. She thought no one else had been awake. Olivia didn't want anyone seeing her and yet she was stupid enough to expose herself.

 _Go on, 'Syndrome'. Say it. 'You're a freak', just like all the other supers._ she thought.

Olivia wrote another question down

 _Why would you of all people care about my well-being? You're Syndrome, someone who tried to kill us._

Buddy read this and clenched his fist and murmured

"I'm not Syndrome anymore. Those days are over." He looked at me and saw that she started to cry. He reached out with this prosthetic arm to touch her but she flinched away. He retracted his hand and sat there, without saying anything, with a look of hurt on his face. Olivia really wished he would go away. But he was still there.

"I learned revenge is something that can consume you. Make you someone else, your own nightmare." He said out of nowhere. Olivia sniffled and wiped her eyes, listening to him.

"I'm sorry for scaring you before. I guess I have that effect on everyone now." He apologized. The light-haired teen stared at him in surprise. He had _apologized_ for _scaring me_. But a thought struck her. Was he lying? Was this all a game and he was just trying to do something bad in the end? She crossed her arms and stared at Buddy who leaned back in this chair in question.

"What? I'm serious!" he exclaimed as he shrugged. I blinked. He was being serious? This guy must have seriously hit his head at some point before he got here. Olivia shifted in her bed uncomfortably, unsure what to do. Finally, she pointed to herself and then held one of her hands out, palm up and placed the other on top of it. She brushed my hand across the open hand twice and then pointed to Buddy.

 ** _I forgive you._**

Now it was his turn to stare at her. Her hazel eyes stared at his blue eyes and Buddy opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Marion coming in. He was unable to say anything because he didn't understand what Olivia was trying to tell him. Olivia repeated the action again. Marion spoke up and translated for Buddy.  
"She says she forgives you for yesterday." She explained with a small smile. Buddy grinned. He honestly was expecting her to be that quick with forgiving him from yesterday, given his reputation and name. But he knew that he could not turn back time to undo the things he did before. And he didn't expect Olivia to forgive him for that. Part of him got the idea that he was expecting too much from his time here and the other half was trying to get him to acknowledge that he needed to change.  
This girl sitting in front of him had forgiven him for something so insignificant that it meant someone was willing to give him a second chance. Although it wasn't for what he recently had done, it was a start and Buddy was thankful for that.  
"Thanks." Was his reply. Olivia looked at him as she rubbed her arm self-consciously.  
Well this got awkward. Buddy thought. Thankfully, Marion saw that the two weren't going to continue and started to wheel Buddy out the door. Granted, Olivia still didn't trust him, but she was able to converse with him, even if it was on paper and not verbally. Buddy was wheeled back to his room, where he sat in silence. His neighbor certainly was interesting, even though she didn't necessarily talk. Maybe she will eventually talk to him. Someday. But he didn't think it would be anytime soon. She wasn't going to trust him yet. Heck he didn't even trust himself!

Buddy glanced once again out the window that showed him Olivia's room. She was just sitting there looking out the window. Not at him, but it looked like something else. Maybe tomorrow he can try to talk to Olivia more. Maybe, she will be able to talk to him.


	5. Chapter 5

Hours had passed by since Buddy's interaction with Olivia. That day whizzed by so quickly. Buddy had gone to physical therapy and tried walking on his leg again. It was tedious. Every time he almost fell, one of the staff would try and help him and he would swat them away. He wanted to do it himself. Buddy didn't want to appear as if he was incapable of doing things himself. Nonetheless, he spent an hour attempting to walk and use his arm again. Olivia on the other hand, was taken to Dr. Nora again, who tried to get Olivia to speak. The hazel-eyed teen, however, had other plans. Once she had gotten to Dr. Nora's office, she bolted back to her room.

Marion and Dr. Nora tried to get her to go back but Olivia refused to move. She repeated to sign 'no'. Olivia knew very little sign language, which her mother taught her. Flashbacks from talks with her father, stemmed from her reason not to talk. Whenever her father would get her to answer something she didn't know, she would answer "I don't know." And his reply would be "That's not an answer." And whenever she would try to say something else, he would…say certain things. Olivia shuddered. She pushed the memories away and concentrated on the present. So, she sat in her bed and listened to the soft music emitting from her phone. But it wasn't long until her peace and quiet was disturbed by Marion coming in and reprimanding her for running from speech therapy. Olivia only glared at her in defiance. Why was everyone trying to get her to talk? Last time she did, she was hurt for it. Couldn't they just leave her alone? After Marion was done, she sighed in defeat. Marion wasn't going to persuade Olivia about speaking. It seemed like Olivia had to start at her own pace.

Marion then told Olivia that it was dinner time and she walked with her to the dining room. Once they got there, Marion left to go get Olivia's food. As the girl sat at the same table as the day before, she thought of Buddy. Was he really looking to be friends with her? She shook her head. Her mind was saying no but her heart spoke differently. Yes, Marion had told her that he wasn't going to hurt her. But she was still leery. She didn't know what he was capable of now. He seemed sincere with his apology to her. These kind of questions were locked in her head, swimming around endlessly until they were answered. She looked around at the now busy dining room. She didn't know why, but she was hoping to see Buddy. He was the only one, besides Marion, who had talked to her and was nice. But in Buddy's case, she figured that he was faking his niceness. She turned back to stare at the table. Suddenly, a noise made her head turn.

"Hey mute! How come your parents don't ever visit you here?" a crude voice spoke to her. The term "mute" Olivia knew all too well. Since she got here, news of her mutism spread like wildfire and nowadays Olivia got pushed around for it. It seemed as though she couldn't escape torment. The voice that had spoken was Johnny. He was a super as well who had been admitted for a heart condition. He was a bit older than Liv and had blonde hair. He loved to torment her. The girl stayed silent as footsteps came near.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Johnny said as he roughly nudged her, almost knocking Olivia to the floor. She clenched her fist in anger. He smirked at her.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" he sneered. Tears threatened to fall. Olivia wanted so badly to snap back at him, but couldn't find the courage to. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of bright orange and black. Very quickly, Buddy was in front of her.

"Are you trying to start something with her?" he asked Johnny. Johnny glared at him and took a menacing step towards Buddy.

Wait. He was defending her? Why?

"And what's it to ya? You're nothing now so back off."

"You're right, I am nothing. But that doesn't mean I could change that." Buddy grinned evilly. That smile scared me a bit. Johnny's smirk then dropped as he looked at Buddy and he growled. Johnny slunk away back to hole and that left Olivia staring at Buddy, who turned around and looked at her.

"You alright?" he asked her. Her eyes were wide and her face was beat red. He didn't get a response at first. Frankly, he was expecting a nod, but he got no response. He sighed in defeat. _Seriously? I just saved her from getting her face punched in and she doesn't 'say' anything!_ He thought.

"Well, if that's all, then I'm gonna go eat." He said as he started to wheel away. Unexpectedly, a small voice made him stop that came from behind him.

"Buddy?" It sounded hesitant, almost like it was unsure.

 _Was that-_

He slowly swiveled around and faced Olivia. Her mouth was open slightly and she looked a bit scared. Now, it was Buddy who was speechless. It **_was_** Olivia who had said his name. She had spoken aloud and better yet, the first word she uttered was his name. But why? Buddy went over to her.

"Y-you spoke!" he exclaimed. She slowly nodded and he grinned. He felt proud of himself, proud that he was able to get her to talk. However, it didn't last long because Olivia tapped three fingers against her chin and placed them against her other hand, palm up. He could only assume that she was thanking him for defending her.

 _And we're back to square one._ He thought as he shrugged and waved a hand.

"It was nothing." And with that, he began to head off again. But he had only gotten so far because he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Olivia. She stopped him and wordlessly invited him over to sit with her.

"Are you sure you want me to sit with you?" Buddy asked a bit concerned. He didn't want to bother her if she was uncomfortable with him. Surprisingly, she nodded. Something inside him made him want to sit with her.  
I just want to make sure she isn't in trouble again. He thought to himself. Nothing else. Once they sat down, Marion had come back with Olivia's food and was surprised to see Buddy sitting with the silent girl. Buddy nodded to Marion in greeting and Marion returned the greeting. She slid the tray of food to Olivia, who looked to Buddy, as if to say 'what about you?' Buddy seemed to get the gist of what she was thinking and merely said he was ok.

Olivia then started to eat with Buddy asking some questions.  
"So what's your power?" He asked. Marion answered for Liv.  
"She is able to manipulate sound, but she hasn't been using it." Buddy nodded and looked to Olivia.  
"Liv, can I call you that?" He asked her. Liv nodded and he continued.  
"Listen, you need to stand up for yourself next time. People like Johnny just want to see you crumble and be helpless. You can't give them that satisfaction." He explained. Liv tilted her head in question.  
"Were you like me?" She asked softly. Marion gasped and tears sprang from her eyes.  
"Oh my god." She whispered. Olivia was talking. Not as much as he would have hoped. But...  
 _At least she's talking more._  
Buddy chuckled.  
"Yeah. I got bullied a lot in school. But only difference was I wasn't a super. I got laughed at and pushed around for idolizing Mr. Incredible." He trailed off, memories flooding back. It was true. He was bullied for wearing his Incrediboy outfit to school once and he got a black eye for it. Buddy then shook his head to clear his head. The past was the past though.  
"Anyways, when Johnny was bothering you, you saw me help you out." Buddy drew in a breath before he went on. He wasn't sure how he was going to word this and if he butchered it then, well... he didn't know what to do.  
"I can't always help out and I know you don't trust me fully yet. But if you need some, uh, pointers on how to deal with goons like him," he jabbed a thumb towards Johnny.  
"I can help with that." Buddy concluded. He waited, unsure of Liv's answer and if it was verbal. Liv stated at him again and then she nodded. Mentally, Buddy was half proud and disappointed. Liv had only spoken 5 words but she wasn't able to speak or stand for herself, just like him when he was younger. Time passed and it was getting close to bedtime. So, Buddy wheeled himself back to his room with Olivia behind him. Once they parted to their rooms, they had went to bed. That day had been an interesting day for both of them.


	6. Chapter 6

The next few days remained mostly uneventful. Buddy became more and more comfortable using his arm. The doctor had told him that within the next day, he would be able to try and walk on his leg. Buddy was, of course, happy for that. He had been confined to that blasted chair for weeks and now, he was able to get rid of it. He was excited to tell Olivia the news.

Olivia, on the other hand, seemed to be deteriorating with her health. She continued to not speak and her anxiety attack medication had caused her to become dizzy, nauseated and have a loss of appetite. It wasn't until one day that Buddy had found this out. He noticed that Liv hadn't gone to breakfast and he was on his way to pay her a visit when he was stopped right outside the door by her nurse Marion.

"She hasn't been feeling well. Her meds might need to be switched. It hasn't gotten worse before until now." She explained solemnly.

Sadness was written all over her face as she looked at him. Buddy was quiet. Liv was only a child and yet she had managed to catch his attention and tolerate him enough to let him talk to her. Ultimately, he started to take a liking in Liv. Although his other identity was one everyone feared and hated, he tried to scrub it from his life. When Olivia met him, like everyone else, she was scared. But when she saw he was capable of changing when he saved her from Johnny, he thought something inside her mind changed. All it took was one decision, one action to change his fate and defy all odds.

So as he sat there staring through the familiar room of his companion, he asked if he could see her. Marion was reluctant at first but eventually allowed him. He went in the room and there sat Olivia, a bit paler than usual and her eyes barely open. She must have noticed him because she very slowly tried sitting up. Almost immediately, Buddy wheeled over to prevent her from hurting herself.

"Woah, slow down, Liv. You shouldn't be doing anything." He told her gently, putting his left arm out. Olivia looked at him and he could have sworn she smiled at him. He smiled back. Buddy had seen people get hurt and he hadn't really cared about it. But now, his only companion was sick and he felt helpless. There was nothing he could do but wait and keep her company, if she needed or wanted it. Olivia had enough strength to maneuver her arm to reach her book and a pencil and write to Buddy.  
 ** _How are you, Buddy?_** The orange-haired man read the paper and said  
"I'm more worried about you, Liv." Olivia blinked in confusion. She wrote again, sliding the book over for him to read.  
 ** _Why are you worried about me?_**  
Buddy looked at Liv as if she had three heads, He raised his eyebrows.  
"You're my friend. I'm supposed to be worried about my friend, right?" and that threw Olivia for a loop. She was his friend? Buddy Pine was considering her as a friend. Had he truly changed? At this point, Olivia seemed to think so. He defended her against her bully and she spoke for him. So, in light of this, Olivia tried to throw her arms around Buddy in a hug, which he returned warmly. As she pulled away, Olivia broke out coughing. Her eyes began to droop as she tried to write out

 ** _Are you going to be able to walk soon?_**

Buddy nodded and told her that tomorrow he was going to try. But seeing his friend in worse condition than he was, Buddy didn't want to do it until she was better. Olivia had started to fight to stay awake, the medication to help her was beginning to take effect. Buddy squeezed her smaller hand with his as he said

"Get some rest, Liv. I'll see you tomorrow. Get better." And with that, Buddy wheeled his way out the door. Buddy didn't get much sleep that night.

 **The Next Day**

Olivia's condition slowly got better overnight. But she wasn't able to speak due to her coughing constantly. As Olivia attempted to start her day by getting dressed, Buddy was across the hall with Linda beginning to get ready to walk without the wheelchair. When he had heard that Olivia was feeling a bit better, Buddy suggested that they go in the hallway and he would walk down the hall. Linda agreed and the two headed to the far end of the hallway. Then, Buddy asked if Linda could get Olivia to wait at the other end. He wanted her to be there to help him. Linda nodded and went to fetch Liv.

Linda knocked on Liv's door before entering and saying

"Olivia, how are you feeling this morning?" the girl glanced at Linda before shrugging and teetered her hand indicating 'so-so'. Linda approached Liv and ask her if she wanted to see Buddy. Her response was a vigorous and enthusiastic nod, to which the nurse laughed at her antic. Linda ushered the girl outside her door and had her wait at the opposite end from where Buddy was. Needless to say, Olivia was a bit confused to not see Buddy around. Where was he?

"Alright Buddy! Why don't you try to walk towards us?" Linda called out to Buddy, who was waiting patiently. At Linda's words, Olivia whipped around and peered down the hall with wide eyes. There was Buddy, who had uneasily stood up from his chair and had started to walk slowly down the hall towards them. His gait was a bit unsteady and uneasily by the prosthetic that clinked against the hard floor. It must have felt heavy. But nonetheless…

He was **walking**! As Buddy continued to walk towards them, Olivia was silently cheering him on. Within a few minutes, Buddy had reached the other side of the hall. He hadn't tripped or fell. As he came to a stop in front of Linda and Olivia, Linda was clapping for him as was Marion, who had joined them. Buddy then looked at Olivia, who had little tears running down her face as she stared up at him. Why was she crying? He thought. He was ok. His blue eyes stared into her hazel ones and they were both silent for a moment before Buddy said to Olivia

"I'm glad to see that you're getting better. How do you think I did?" her response wasn't at all what he had expected. Instead of motioning something, she threw her arms around him. Buddy was taken back but then he relaxed at her touch. But her quiet sobs drew concern from Buddy.

"Hey, what's wrong, Liv? I'm ok and you're doing ok, right?" he reassured her gently. Was she overwhelmed by the fact he was walking? Buddy lightly pulled away from the girl and looked at her. Olivia sniffled as she wanted so badly tell him what was on her mind. Very quickly, she started to make motions with her hands, making Buddy frown.

"Liv, I don't know what you're trying to say." She only repeated the motion she was making frantically. Buddy huffed in frustration. It was times like this that he really wished he understood ASL. He then remembered that Marion, Liv's nurse, translated for her. So, Buddy told Liv to stay put as he went to go find Marion. Buddy walked around slowly and once he found Marion, he brought her back to where Liv was.

"What word is she signing?" Buddy asked Marion. Liv repeated the motion and Marion said

"Discharge." Buddy's mind reeled at that word. At first, he didn't understand why Olivia was so worked up and upset about it but then suddenly, it hit him like a ton of bricks. He was going to get discharged from the hospital once he was all cleared and he would have to leave. More importantly, he would have to leave Olivia. His heart dropped to his feet at the thought. Ever since he got here, he had no one. Now, he was Olivia's friend and he would have to leave the hospital. He didn't want to do that to her. To Olivia, she had grown a bit closer to him. But still, he would have to go and possibly be punished for everything he had done before. He shook his head, unable to come up with words.

Buddy slowly bent down a little to look at Olivia in the eye. Her face was still a bit red and puffy from crying. He brought one of his arms to her shoulder and said

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere right now, ok? I'm right here. You don't need to worry about me. I know you don't want me to go. I'm not leaving." he hoped that his words reached her and calmed her down. They did. Buddy wasn't planning on leaving her anytime soon. Right now, she needed him.


	7. Chapter 7

Days turned into weeks and Olivia was well again. She appeared healthier and her anxiety attacks gradually diminished. However, she still wouldn't talk. Buddy, on the other hand, was becoming more and more able to walk around and use his hand/arm again. It seemed like everything was going well. But deep down, Buddy knew that by the end of that week, he was going to have to leave. Part of him was happy to get out of this trash hole. He had nothing holding him back.

Except Olivia.

She had managed to be friend him with a few weeks! She was hesitant at first, given who he was. But nonetheless, she saw that he was like her, in the same place for almost the same reason. Buddy grew to like her also as a friend, despite the fact that she almost never spoke. Her face and body language, however, spoke for her. In the end, Buddy didn't know how was going to feel once he left, once he left Olivia alone once again. He didn't want to. It felt like there was nothing he could do to change that.

 **Mysterious Line Break!**

It was the day of the week when the families of the patients, both super and non-supers, would come and visit. They would pop in, and see the patients' progress on recovery. So, that morning, Marion helped Olivia get dressed for the occasion and led her to the recreation room, where families were supposed to meet their loved ones. However, Olivia stopped suddenly in the middle of the hall on their way over, staring at Buddy's door longingly. Marion looked back and noticed this. She bent a little to look at Liv and said

"Do you want Buddy to join us?" Olivia nodded meekly and fiddled with her shirt nervously. Marion straightened up and opened Buddy's door. Once she opened it, she poked her head in, saying

"Buddy?" The older man glanced up from the book he was reading by the window and saw the brown-haired nurse. He smiled and slowly got up. He wobbled a bit as he made his way over.

"Hi. What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Olivia would like you to join her this morning." Marion explained to him, a knowing smile appearing on her face. Buddy nodded and answered

"Sure." And he made his way outside. As he stepped out, he caught sight of Liv staring at him. Olivia smiled and waved. He waved back and asked

"Hey Liv! How are you?" the girl responded by motioning with her hands. Again. _It doesn't look like she'll be talking for a while. Why doesn't she? She spoke to me a few weeks ago._ He thought. It did concern him that she wasn't talking to anyone, especially him. Was something wrong with her? Something more to it than her anxiety?

"She says that she's doing okay and wants to know how you are doing." Marion's voice cut through his thoughts. Buddy quickly shook his thoughts away and looked at Liv. Her eyes silently worried about him. Despite the fact that she never spoke, Liv seemed to know that something was on his mind.

"I'm fine." He reassured her. She, however, wasn't content in his answer and she narrowed her eyes at him as if to say _I don't believe you._ Buddy chuckled.

"I'm _fine_! Geez, mother." He muttered playfully. Olivia's expression changed at that and her face flushed a little. _Oh no. What did_ _I do now?_ Buddy thought frantically. He knew he did or said something to upset her. Olivia was suddenly quiet as she started to walk down the hall. Buddy looked to Marion with confusion all over his face.

"What did I do?" he simply said. His face was full of guilt and concern. Marion looked at Olivia before turning back to Buddy. She inhaled deeply and began:

"Today is the day when families come in to visit the patients and get updated on their progress, Buddy. In Liv's case, today is hard for her. You see, her parents are divorced. Her mother isn't able to come to these kinds of things due to her work and her father…" she trailed off, almost unable to continue.

"Her father is the cause of Liv's state of health." She finished. _What? Her father? He's the reason why Liv doesn't talk at all? What did he do to her that makes her so scared?_ He thought to himself. Worry bubbled up inside of him as he looked at Olivia, who had stopped halfway down the hall and was staring at the wall. She seemed so deprived of life. Her eyes seemed like two orbs of gray clouds. She rarely smiled, her mouth appeared to be in a permeant frown. Olivia then started to walk again, continuing her way toward the cafeteria and Marion and Buddy followed. Buddy didn't ask any more questions after that. His head was already trying to make sense of the girl and her behavior. Her father was the source of Liv's demeanor and that worried Buddy a little. Buddy himself came from a broken home. His father thought he was useless and his mother was more loving to him. He knew he didn't really understand what Olivia had gone through, but he was familiar with it. Buddy didn't like talking about his past at all. Anyway, as the three of them got to the cafeteria, Marion and Buddy went to get the food, and Olivia sat a table.

All of the walking he was doing made Buddy's legs ache. His prosthetic clinked against the floor as it touched it. Every time he looked at them (his arm and leg), he grimaced. It brought back the memory of himself almost getting killed by the jet and Mr. Incredible. Buddy frowned at the thought of his former idol. Part of his situation was all his fault. If only Mr. Incredible had let him be his sidekick, then none of this would have happened! Buddy must have been walking back to the table and sat down with his body tense because he felt a small hand gently touch his normal arm and he snapped out of it.

Olivia had reached her arm out and caught his attention, her face filled with concern and confusion, as if asking 'Are you ok?' Buddy dismissively waved her off.

"I'm fine, Liv."

She drew back her hand slowly and frowned even more. Buddy scrunched up his face in confusion and asked her

"What is it, Liv? You want to ask me something, then ask."

Olivia stared at him before, very quietly, asking

"What happened to you?" as she pointed to his arm and leg. Buddy's face became stoic and he muttered

"I don't think you want to know the details. The short version: I did something stupid and bad to a family and I paid the consequences for it." There was silence between the two of them and Buddy started to eat his breakfast. Olivia didn't ask any further questions and just sat there and waited for Marion to bring her breakfast. She knew better than to be nosy in one's personal life. Minutes later, Marion comes over and returns with food and they ate in silence. Suddenly, Marion tapped Olivia's arm and the girl slowly looked at her nurse.

"Liv, look who's here." She gently said to her. Olivia whipped her head towards the direction in which Marion was pointing and her face lit up like a light. Buddy turned and saw a woman who was smiling at Liv and waved to her. Liv's eyes widened in shock and as quick as lightning, she ran over to the woman and she wrapped her arms around her. Buddy stared at what was happening before leaning across the table and asking Marion

"Is that-"

"Yes. That's Olivia's mother. I didn't know she was really coming today." Marion told him with a smile.

"You had an idea she was?" he asked her with a grin. Marion nodded. _She is sneaky._ He thought. She wanted to surprise Liv and she did it expertly. The two adults looked on at the girl and her mother, who was beaming down at her daughter. Unexpectedly, Olivia looked at Buddy for a moment and waved him over. He noticed this and shook his head. Buddy didn't think it was such a good idea for her mother to know and meet with him, someone who was a former villain, being friends with her daughter.

Olivia frowned and glanced back at her mother and pointed in Buddy's direction. Her mother looked at Buddy and her face fell. Buddy turned away. What he would give to be invisible! Olivia and her mother made their way over to Marion and Buddy. Marion stood up and shook hands with Liv's mom, while Liv sat down next to Buddy and stared at him, all the while smiling widely. The red head glared at her.

"Yeah, you're all sunshine and daisies, but your mom doesn't look too keen on me. I don't think that this is a good idea, Liv." He muttered to her, but all he got in return was another one of her famous frowns. He looked up and saw Liv's mother staring at him. He visibly shrunk down a little in his seat and was able to get a better look at her. Her hair was a lighter brown compared to Liv's and her eyes were a bluish-green tint. She was relatively tall and her face revealed none of her emotions. She then slowly spoke first.

"I didn't expect you to be here." There was a hint of anger in her voice as the woman remained still. Buddy didn't say anything as he continued to look at her.

"I sincerely hope that you haven't done anything-" she continued and this time, to their surprise, Olivia stood up and frantically shook her head.

 _She's defending me._ Buddy thought with surprise. Olivia whispered

"He is my friend." As she looked at her mother with pleading eyes. Buddy then interjected.

"I haven't done anything. I'm not the man I was." Was all he said with a straight face. Frankly, he didn't blame her for acting the way she did. Some things were hard to let go. Now, seeing her daughter being comfortable around the man who tried to take over the city, the woman had the right reasons to be extremely uneasy and angry. There was an awkward silence before the mother coughed a little and turned to Marion.

"Has she-" she began and Marion shook her head.

"No, she hasn't. I'm starting to worry that she won't be able to if she doesn't use them. The Superhero Act…" as Marion went on to explain Buddy looked down at Olivia, who had sat down and stared at her food. She seemed upset, it was obvious. Her eyebrows were furrowed a little and her eyes told him everything. He nudged her a little and she looked up at him. Buddy opened his mouth to ask if she was okay but decided against it. Olivia's mother got done talking with Marion and she turned to her daughter.

"Would you like to show me around, sweetie?

Then, you can show me how you've bene doing with your powers?" she asked. Olivia didn't reply at first, only looking between Buddy, Marion and her mother, as if she was unsure about something. Finally, she looked at Buddy and signed something. Marion translated for her.

"She wants to know if you'll be free later." Buddy smiled and nodded. Despite that he will be doing his daily check-up and therapy, he would find time to see his young friend. At this, Liv smiled and nodded to her mother, who then took her hand started to lead her out of the cafeteria to be shown around. This left Marion and Buddy alone to talk.

"I see she's warmed up to you." Marion suddenly told him.

"Frankly, I'm surprised. Her mother isn't all hunky dory with me being friends with Liv." Buddy muttered. He didn't expect that the girl would have him wrapped around her finger so quickly.

"Why? Yes, you did some things that shaped who you were. But that was the past. You're not that person anymore, Buddy. You've learned from it and now, you're trying to do right. Olivia saw that you cared for her and that you were willing to defend her. She saw you as a friend." Marion said as she grasped his prosthetic hand gently. She stared at him with kind eyes, not hate or anger. Buddy didn't say anything. Marion sighed and said as she released her grasp

"Seeing people change isn't what hurts. What hurts is remembering who they used to be." And with that, Marion send his another small smile and left, leaving Buddy sitting alone in the cafeteria, alone in his thoughts.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi everyone! I am SO incredibly sorry for the really long hiatus for this story! I've been in a rough spot with college, my internship and dealing with my self-esteem and confidence with writing. I originally was going to stick to a schedule in order to keep myself motivated but found I couldn't even keep up with that. Know that I really want to continue writing all of my stories, especially this one but I won't be updating frequently. It will be whenever inspiration or when someone offers to help because I've been finding that I can't keep up with writing and updating all of my stories by myself anymore. So, if anyone would like to assist me and become a co-author to any of my stories (except Perfect to Me), please please PLEASE PM me! Thank you and enjoy this chapter of An Incredible Friendship!**

After Olivia had left with her mother for the day, Buddy was forsaken to his own devices. He managed to make his way towards his room where he began his exercises to strengthen his limbs. Minutes turned into hours and soon it was mid-afternoon. Buddy looked up from his bed to hear small, quiet footsteps make their way into the room across from his own. He saw the familiar figure of Olivia and smiled slightly. The girl, attached to her IV pole, went to her bed and climbed in with the help of Marion. Silence filled the hall as Buddy watched and after a few minutes, he decided to go see his young friend. Carefully getting out of bed and walking to the door by himself was no longer a challenge to the ex-villain and he was able to slowly walk to Olivia's room. He knocked, and Marion looked up with a small smile, gesturing for him to come in.

He stepped into the room as Olivia sat up in bed seeing Buddy. "Hey Liv." Buddy said in greeting, sitting next to the bed but frowned when the girl turned her back to him and faced the window. A look of sadness and upset were in her eyes that made Buddy frown. "Aw what's wrong? What's got you down?" He asked as he carefully walked around the bed and sat down in front of Olivia. The girl didn't say anything in reply, her arms crossed as she stared out the window with a frown. Buddy sighed before looking at Marion for help.

"I told her you were going to be discharged in a few days." The nurse said quietly. _Oh...is that why Liv is upset?_ Buddy thought to himself. He sighed before running a hand through his orange hair. "Marion's right. But that doesn't mean we can't stay friends." He told the younger girl, who turned away and he could see her green eyes watering a little from behind her dirty blonde hair. Buddy shifted to sit a bit closer, reaching out to place a hand on Olivia's shoulder. "Liv-" he started but unexpectedly, Olivia whipped her head towards him and started to try and hit him with her smaller hands in both anger and sadness.

Buddy pulled back in surprise and he felt a wave of something physically heavy hit him. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, his breathing becoming a bit heavy at the force as he regained his balance. Marion's eyes widened slightly, hurrying over to Olivia, who was still swinging her arms wildly. Her eyes were filled with pure pain and fury and Buddy looked both confused and shocked. "Olivia, stop! Calm down. Breathe…" Marion tried to say to her, causing Olivia to tremble slightly while Marion gently put her arms down and sat her down on the bed. The nurse turned her head towards Buddy. "Are you alright?" She asked, and he managed a small nod. "I think you better head back to your room." It came out more as an order than a suggestion.

"But what-" Buddy asked but Marion cut him off. "I will speak with you later. Please, Buddy. Go back to your room." She repeated and he silently gazed at Olivia before leaving the room. Questions and guilt filled his mind as he sat down on his bed, sighing softly.

 _Why did Olivia do that? She looked so angry…_ Buddy thought to himself, looking down at his hands with a sad frown. _Is it because…?_ He froze, realization hitting him like a brick. _She doesn't want me to go._ Of course! The girl had grown close to him but the last thing he expected was for her to be so attached that she would be angry enough to lash out like that when Marion told her he was being discharged. Frowning deeper, Buddy wondered a lot of things but found he had no answers, so he waited until it was the evening to go on a mission. He needed to read Olivia's file and see what was going on with her or maybe even help her. Glancing at the clock beside his bed, Buddy groaned. It was only noon now. Waiting eight hours was going to be a while...

Meanwhile, in another room of the hospital, Johnny was resting in his bed. He had been fuming **(Ha see what I did there? XD)** over how little miss mute was ignoring him and even more so that her 'friend' was there to almost beat him to a pulp when he only wanted to talk to her. Like Olivia, Johnny didn't have any friends to talk to before and the fact that Buddy Pines was being all nice and friendly to others now made the teen upset. He didn't trust Buddy at all, didn't believe he was changed for the better. Johnny looked outside his window that led out into the hall and raised a brow when he saw Buddy glancing at the clock every so often. His room was on the same side as Olivia's so he could see Buddy's room across the hallway. "What's he doin'?" he asked himself. The boy watched the ex-villain for hours, suspicious that he was going to do something...sinister. So, Johnny sat there on his bed, his blue eyes narrowed as he eyed Buddy until the older man glanced at his bedside clock once more and got up, leaving his room and glancing down the hall.

Buddy then crept to one of the back rooms that read PRIVATE! EMPLOYEES ONLY. Johnny noticed, becoming even more confused. "Why's he goin' into the file room?" he muttered as he quickly followed after Buddy who didn't notice he was being watched or followed. Once Buddy was in the room, Johnny swiftly opened the door to see Buddy in one of the filing cabinets, rummaging through some files. "Hey! What are you doin' in here?" Johnny asked with a frown and an angry expression on his face. As soon as he spoke, Buddy's head jerked up and he saw the younger teen by the door. He froze, his heartbeat quickening before he managed to compose himself.

"I was going to ask you the same thing."


End file.
